The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-09-02
A SRING DAY,
BY L X. w~ETHERILL.

DA oOA1AA - W e
Colin Stone sat on the front porch,
with his chair tipped back against the
railing. He was smoking, and watch
ing in a happy contemplatlve way the
wreaths that curled up from his long
stemmed pipe.
Lucy, his wife, came to the door and
stood there, with a hand on each side
of the framework, shifting idly from
one foot to the other. Her slim figure
lent itself pliantly to attitudes ofcare-
less ease that would have looked
slouching and awkward to most peo-
pie. She had q little flower like faces
with small, irregular features; clear
blue eyes and hair of a light red gold,
lying upon her head in loose short
Curls. The color in her lips was deep
and rich, and there was q fresh tinge
of red in her cheeks with here and there
a freckle.
"Colin," she said, "you ought to
have sesn Jacky chasing the little tur-
kies; he tried so hard to catch them,
and he tripped and fell down, but he
diden't cry a Bit"
"oh, he's a wonderful boy" said
Colin, removing his pipe to laugh.
A little curley head was thrust be-
tween the mothers skirts and the
door.frame, and Jacky sent up a la
ment about the turkies that had
elnded him.
mo, no, you can't have them,"
said Lucy, 'fbut come with mamma,
and we'll put the turkies to bed"
Collins eyes followed the slender
figure OF his wife, with the two-year
old boy trotting beside her, clutching
her finger, the little feet stamping
earnestly along The garden-path.
Then he looked abroad. Spring
was everywhere. The sky was deep
ly blue, the slantIng rays OF the after
noon sunlight streamed through the
young boughs. The white heads Of
clover jostled each other in the road
side fringes Of grass. Across the way
the bloomy cloud of the china bios
som hung in the clear air. The turf
vas thick with tiny flowers that had
the scent OF the earth. His garden
plot was fragrant and full of color,
Al. ~a91Anwsr 81 49, wYoTlAuw
h~oneysuckle with its pleasant
country smell crowded and
clustered about the porch. On
one side a tall, thick hedge OF Chero-
kse, tho wild white rose of the South,
screened the garden from the passeff-
by upou the narrow lane that ran be-
side It. The higll road lay In front
and beyond that the leYee and the
turbid breadth Of the Mississippi
River, transformed by cleaning after
noon lights into an enchanted
stream.
f. 5wSsa q day Of tthhFssAa OF
10Y and pain passed through the
mans heart. 1t was all so beautiful
so beautiful. The voice of his wife
and child prattling together in the
HWScN ASAAk0sb$c III N1lAC ~
him where he sat. Sometimes he
caught a glimpse of Lucy's bright hair
between the screen of leaves. He
thought Of the dark days when his
Lie had seemed SO intolerable that he
had come near to ending it with bis
own hand.
Suppose" he mused sthat I had
done it and 1t had been my punish
ment to look out Of hell upon this
The thought made his heart trem
bic. He felt that he musS thaEk
God for his deliverance.
Colin ealledLucy, fare yougoing
iorthe mail this EVENING"
Why, yes. Ihad almost forgotten
well don't forget to take my let
ter to Cousin Sabina. II is on the
mantelpiece behind the blue yase,s
Y did not take Colin long to kiss
Lucy and 5ackey and get out on TIE
road, It stretched before him, seem-
lngly endless, with a fat m9notony
that would haye been maddenino rs
an adventurous spirit but to Colin e
seemed the embodiment OF u~Iaciditv
and sweet content.
The SUN q full Of mild warmth
though the wind that blew had \ rare
touch q chiliness ia it. just in FRONT
0k hln q troOp Of brown bntteraies
~eilcke4 above the ground With q cai.